Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Akshay Kumar with wife Twinkle Khanna and daughter Nitara

Not without my selfie
Even during his lunch outing with wife Twinkle Khanna and daughter Nitara, Akshay Kumar can't escape the admiration of a selfie-seeking fan. Pic/Yogen Shah

No wedding without the tikka
In today's social media-savvy age, you need to look your best. Actor and activist Gul Panag, who was at a family wedding in Punjab this weekend, used Instagram to point out a crucial element at Punjabi weddings - the tikka. The first Instagram story was from home, with Panag sharing a no-make-up look as she put on her maang tikka first, having "learnt it the hard way to not leave it for the last. It's always rushed and doesn't sit right".

"We always go the whole nine yards in terms of dressing up for close family weddings. Tikka is a must. And also a phulkari (in addition to the dupatta), because it's considered auspicious," Panag wrote, followed by multiple posts of family members donning it at the wedding, as she gushed about the forehead head piece, captioned, "Tikka's our thing".

Wearing music on her sleeve
This diarist recently happened to speak to renowned Chennai-based Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam who was in the city for a concert. She shared memories of growing up in Dadar Parsi Colony and how cosmopolitan Mumbai had a lasting impact on her approach to music.

That's when we also asked her something about her sartorial choice - Sairam is known to have the letters 'sa, pa, sa' embossed on her gorgeous saree blouses embroidered in the Devnagari script. When asked why, she said, "These are the basic notes for classical riyaaz. So, I literally wear my music on my sleeve." We love the sound of that.

Hockey players stick to past
It was an evening of fun and goals as some of the members of the Mahindra hockey team of yesteryear reunited for a friendly match at the St Andrew's Turf in Bandra recently. Some prominent players among the gathering were Joaquim Carvalho, MM Somaya, Dhanraj Pillay, Harendra Singh, John Fernandes, Reginald Pereira, Hillary Gomes, Ashok Venkat, Anup Shukla, Nagesh Azad, IS Negi, Shreedhar Murthy and Nigel Barret.

Some of the Mahindra hockey stalwarts of yesteryear in Bandra on Friday

The veterans got the better of their teenage opponents 5-4, with Dhanraj and Harendra even scoring a goal each. Harendra later recalled how the bunch in their heyday were top-notch: "We won the 1987-88 Bombay league without conceding a goal. In the final, we beat Tata Sports Club 2-0. I remember they earned a penalty stroke first up, but our goalkeeper Marky (Mark Patterson) was so confident that he told us, 'Don't worry, I'll save it,' and he did."

Joaquim and Somaya were among the key coordinators for the get-together, which wasn't easy since many players are abroad. "We have a WhatsApp group and were planning this for a few months. I'm glad we managed a decent turnout," Joaquim said. Dhanraj had the last word: "Our phones have been buzzing with messages on the group over the last few days. Now there will be peace," he said as the group burst out laughing.

High on unity
After the Statue of Unity, the tallest statue in the world, was unveiled back in October, a stationery brand has now released the tallest book in India, called the Book of Unity, which measures 1 metre in height.

Pic/Ashish Raje

The launch took place as part of a three-day event that kick-started with a patriotic flashmob by children of an NGO, and students from colleges across the city were invited to come and write their thoughts and opinions on unity in the book. After the event, the book will be sent to the Prime Minister's office. Does size matter?

Art Attack in Lower Parel
Last week, this diarist attended the preview of an interactive exhibition set up by the Piramal Museum of Art, where visitors can do artwork on a giant canvas wall. The museum had been conducting tours for corporate employees and students.

But the tours were so well-received that the wall was full of artwork before the public opening scheduled for Sunday. "We are now thinking of changing the canvas once a week, or have people paint over it and see how the canvas takes shape over time," director Ashvin Rajagopalan told this diarist.

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